After watching David Pogue’s New York Times video review/commentary of the new NaturallySpeaking 11 software I decided it was time to finally take the plunge. I’d been and contemplating it for quite some time but could never quite rationalize making the purchase. After Mr. Pogue’s review it seemed like a bit of a no-brainer for someone that was never formally taught how to type. That’s not to suggest that I can’t type I’m just not a classically trained touch typist and I think at the end of the day certain level of fatigue sets in as a byproduct of my sloppy keyboard style.

The package arrived late yesterday and I immediately installed the software with a high degree of anticipation and expectation. It’s actually been some time since I’ve anticipated the software purchase like I did the NaturallySpeaking 11. Mostly because it is an entirely unique package unlike recent Adobe suite products that are mostly redundant. I opened up the well packaged software and inserted the disc for installation as well as the reasonably built headset/microphone. The installation went relatively smooth up until the 75% mark where my computer decided it was no longer going to cooperate; it turns out my sound card wasn’t playing well with others. As you can imagine dictation software requires a working sound card and with that my installation came to a screeching halt. A was entirely baffled on how to rectify the problem. I eventually relented and called Nuance Support versus relying on my sheer will and ego to solve the problem myself. I’m happy to report that I got through with little or no hassle to a support agent named “Kenny” (who is probably in Mumbai). Ken was altogether helpful  & patient as he walked me well through what eventually turned into a system reboot in a variety of other tasks. He quickly identified the issue is my sound card (duh!) And with that there was very little he could do other than suggest updating my drivers or considering a USB-based headset that would not rely exclusively on my stricken sound card. Well, after about three hours of fruitless labor and a trip to my local Best Buy, I now find myself dictating this entry using the NaturallySpeaking software and fairly satisfied with the results.

NaturallySpeaking 11 seems to deliver everything it promised by allowing me to speak in a natural tone and meter and have it reliably transcribe my words. Have there been mistakes? Absolutely but most of the time I can trace it back to sloppy enunciation or stuttering train of thought. I don’t speak with any regional accent (although my former Michigan brethren may disagree) and I could get more than a few people to vouch for for my relatively clear speaking voice. “She cooks a proper cup of coffee and a copper coffee pot” was perfectly transcribed, for example. One of the nicest features I found is integrated is the Dragon Sidebar that acts as a practical cheat sheet for most every command phrase. Without exception, commands are plain English and logical but to have them listed on the right side of my screen is a benefit I’m taking advantage of is I learn the software.

NaturallySpeaking 11 is compatible with my OpenOffice software as well is my Outlook 2007. While it can perform some basic Windows 7 commands, I don’t ever anticipate using it as a substitute for my mouse and keyboard shortcuts. Predictably, the default browser support is limited to Internet Explorer and Firefox (ok that sucks less). So as a Google Chrome user I’m left somewhat out of the game. That’s not to suggest that there is no support at all, is simply not up to speed and not worth the effort of trying to substitute a trusty mouse/keyboard combination. Integration with Outlook 2007 has proven to be quite satisfying and for the most part effortless. As I make my initial forays, I can’t imagine typing out another e-mail more than two paragraphs without firing up the NaturallySpeaking software.

What’s not so great? At least a couple of times this afternoon I’ve had to stop and restart the NaturallySpeaking application as it seemed to struggle a bit. I won’t go so far as to suggest that crashed or outright interfered with other applications but it seemed greatly relieved when I chose to restart altogether. That being said let’s not lose track of the site that this is my first day using the software and perhaps I’d done something a little out of the ordinary. Additionally a taskbar spans the top edge of my monitor and someone who values every pixel of real estate I find that somewhat frustrating. However I’m happy to report that there are several options for how the task bar is displayed so I can’t really consider that too much problem. Lastly, I found that even as writing this post, my headphones are beginning to wear on my ears just a little bit. Granted that’s not a function of the software but even the most comfortable headsets will eventually become a factor. So alas, my plan is to dictate the next great American may in fact be foiled by $35 headphones versus software limitations.

Again touching base with the Dragon Sidebar, I can’t imagine using that tool with anything less than a 22 inch monitor so even on the largest laptop screens that (optional) space requirement might prove to be a bit too much. But I found it quite convenient as it toggles the visible command-cues as I switch between applications like OpenWriter, Outlook and so on.

So the million dollar question that you’re asking – the most obvious and logical question – is did I dictate this post flawlessly without correction. Absolutely not. I made some occasional along the way using my mouse and keyboard simply because it was more efficient than using NaturallySpeaking. After all this is my first day and I suspect many software Easter eggs have yet to be uncovered. Would I recommend this software to the typing impaired? Well, it’s 100 bucks and that ain’t exactly free. But when you consider the power and technology you get with that C-note, I think it’s a pretty good deal in my initial satisfaction level is strong.

Footnote: My computer isn’t top-of-the-line but it’s no slouch either. I can’t help but think the older machines would logically suffer performance hits.

Like millions of others, I spent a portion of my day struggling to find a worthwhile feed/stream from the iPad debut. At one point I found myself on a website listening to audio being piped in via a cell phone with the corresponding video relying on a video feed from ANOTHER website. And even then, the website with imagery was relegated to frequently updated still images from the event. It was pathetic. I was pathetic for watching it for as long as I did. But nevertheless, it was a textbook case of how well Apple manages their brand, the product and their hype. Make no mistake about it–Steve Jobs remains rail thin from illness but he’s still in charge and still calling the shots. Like everyone else, I was lining up to drink the Apple ‘Kool-Aide’

The iPad looks like an amazing piece of hardware. My first MAC was a Performa 630 with 4 megs of RAM and now about 15 years later, we’re literally holding Jetson’s grade gadgetry in our hands. But within hours, I was finding blog posts techno-sniping at all of the things that the iPad could NOT do. Some arguments were admittedly valid and of course many were just cynical.

At the risk of sounding like an old crank I have to come to the defense of a 50 billion dollar company. Small sidebar: I use a Windows 7 machine now. I bailed from the Mac platform when the stock floundered at $8 a share and I was confident that this and their 10% market share spelled doom. Say it together with me: iPod. And as as I write this, the stock tips the scales at $200 a share.

Alright back to business. Sure it’s inexcusable that the iPad (more so than the iPhone) doesn’t support Flash. I found it somewhat amazing (or perhaps arrogant–it’s a common Apple perspective) that within the context of Mr. Job’s initial presentation, he visited three sites in succession that clearly used and required a Flash plug in. Smack dab in the middle of the New York Times website he scrolled past the troublesome and annoying blue cube that alerts users to the need for Flash. But wait–we can watch the insane on YouTube so I suppose all sins are forgiven? Uh. No.

But I digress. The iPod uses an IPS  display that is far superior that 90% of the LCD flat screens being used in homes and offices as we speak. Certainly better than the display I’m looking at right now. Built in WiFi, music videos, email–the whole shooting match. And no, this was never designed to be a camera so tell me again why that matters?

Clearly Apple has been victimized by the bar that itself has placed so high. We’ve  become spoiled by the handheld machines with more computing power than the mainframes that sent men to the moon. I count myself among those that demand quality in their hardware but let’s not lose track of the amazing accomplishments that have poured out of their walls over the past 10 years. And no, it’s not a perfect product. But it’s still what we’ve come to expect from Apple–super sleek engineering and unmatched ease of use. Perhaps most critically the iPad nay-sayers are missing the bigger picture. That is, that who else has even come CLOSE to developing and launching such a product. No one–and no one is on the horizon either. Will I buy one? Time will tell–I’ll need to hold one in my hands before I part with $500 or more.

Now tell me again about the Kindle? What does it do?

For literally years I looked forward to the UVERSE network upgrade that inched slowly-ever so slowly-toward my Little Rock suburb. I checked ‘availability’ about once a month (using an online tool) and even called in from time to time trying to glean even the most modest pearls of information. Have you ever seen an AT&T truck with the semi-rhetorical marketing slogan “Ask Me About UVERSE”? Well not once, but twice I did when coming across a technician in my neighborhood.

Jump ahead about 3 years and finally the day came. I made the appointment and within a week, I was enjoying an 18 mps download speed, fiber-optic television courtesy of UVERSE! We decided to go ‘all cell’ and didn’t install the voice service. Finally, the curse of storm-induced DishTV outages were over and better yet, I now had BBC America.

After two weeks, I called AT&T and dramatically downgraded my services. Here are the highlights behind the decision to end this honeymoon so quickly

• On my HD TV, I was able to cite a clear downgrade in HD picture quality. Sure I can be  a stickler over ‘all-things technical’, but my son noted the same, over compressed HD signal as a sub-standard when compared to the DishTV picture. I know many folks can claim the opposite to be true but in my scrutinizing eyes the picture wasn’t as sharp
• The UVERSE DVR remote allowed users to “skip” forward (we seem to use that much more often than the fast forward option) but it subjected me to nevertheless watch the video. Sure it was in ‘fast forward’ mode, but the clear winner here is DishTV. The same DishTV remote feature simply takes the viewer 30 seconds ahead almost instantly. Translation, tapping the “skip” button 4 times in a row on a DishTV remote lands me about 2 minutes deeper into a program. Doing the same multi-tap trick on a UVERSE simply doesn’t work as you have to ride out each “skip”, one at a time. You can’t “stack” the stick commands and it proved very tedious.
• Full and complete DVR features on two TVs: turns out it’s a DishTV exclusive (so I’m reading). While UVERSE allows up to four “satellite”‘ units to draw from the primary DVR, the secondary TVs can NOT pause live TV but can only pause/play/fast forward recorded programming. Within the scope of our decision to stay with DishTV, this ended up being a major factor.
• In my eyes, the 18 mps internet speed was the core feature of the upgrade. This was the cornerstone of my interest in UVERSE. Who would have ever guessed that tripling my internet speed (I was at 6 mps) would have been such a bland, milquetoast upgrade.
  • Yes, FTP’ing large files or downloading new music on iTunes it was clearly faster–no argument there. But even though I spend 8 hours a day working online, it turns out I don’t make many uber-large file transactions. Hardly any in fact. But even sites like YouTube seemed to load fast enough with my 6 mps connection. I mean the movie may load faster but it didn’t START any faster. So having it pre-loaded is of questionable value.
  • Emails with large attachments did not load any faster–Outlook seems to be immune to the speed upgrade. And for the most part, day to day browsing was likewise only modestly faster–at best. The one thing to remember about browsing the web is that you’re only as fast as your weakest link (the website you’re visiting).
  • Speestest.net is a great site for measuring your connection speed. Using a variety of test servers I found my speeds clocking in as low as 8 mps, regularly at about 10-12 mps and once in a while in the 16-17 mps range.
  • Cost to Value Ratio: This is what broke the back of UVERSE. Had the 18 mps rate cost less, I’d have kept it.  But upgrading my monthly cost from $35 a month to $65 proved too much to stomach based on my modest enthusiasm for the speed and it’s real-life results. If you download games all day (5 gig demos) or regularly transfer crazy large files like billboard size images it’s a keeper. But even as the power-user that I am, I just didn’t see the difference that warranted doubling my monthly bill.
  • For the total goobers: The gateway hardware is comically large (the size of  a Mom’s photo album) and the interface for managing connections, security and MAC id’s in pitiful if you’re used to a full featured set of options. And as one that grew to love DD-WRT I’m almost in tears.

If you were paying attention, you’ll recall that I didn’t CANCEL my UVERSE account but rather only downgraded it. One, in spite of the hulking breadbox gateway, it does provide consistent speeds–both upload and download. The promised speeds of 6 mps down and 1 mps up are effectively delivered. With my traditional DSL I only got 650 kbps upload and about 4.5  to 5 mps down. The fiber-optic based UVERSE clearly manages and maintains the speed more consistently. Additionally, keeping the new configuration gives me the option to change my mind down the road. You never know—prices and feature sets change all the time. So with the hardware in place, I’m one step ahead.

My wife recently signed up with the Kohls mailing list in an effort to secure the occasional coupon and special offer as we entered the back to school and consumer-spending-frenzied-fourth quarter. And because she’s been around me just long enough, she used our mutual Yahoo email address vs. her personal account. And in case anyone wasn’t listening closely let me repeat that little pearl of advice: Secure a Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail account and use them specifically for mailing lists, registrations and similarly disposable instances. They are easy to get, plentiful and available from any machine with an internet connection.

The first marketing email came in this past Monday and congratulations to them for keeping very close tabs on new sign-ups and getting right to work. As one that spent several years in retail internet marketing, I know that’s important. And with retail taking it’s current economic beating, it’s the cost efficient life-blood of most companies that are paying attention.

Then Tuesday came along. And another marketing email from Kohls.

The sun rose on Wednesday and my inbox was swollen with another offer from Kohls

As I logged in this morning–you guessed it–Kohls was back like a toe fungus.

I was hip to the marketing groove by day two so the UNSUBSCRIBE option was taken on Tuesday. They threw in the broad caveat that I might still get marketing emails for a couple days while the request was processed. Funny how you can be added overnight but to be removed, it takes several days. Things that make you go “hmmmm”

What the marketing team at Kohls has done is abuse their marketing mailing list. They abused the consumer by bloating their inbox day in and day out and risk numbing the consumer to their message. One day Kohls will want to ‘give away the store’ with ‘super savings’ but because they’ve nuked me with daily messages, they’ve trained mailing list users to either ignore (and delete without viewing) the marketing message that’s become email ‘white noise’ or simply scan and perhaps ‘miss’ the marketing target.

Or in my case, they might simply annoy me. Plain and simple. Call me a cad, but if my best friend wrote me everyday it would get old and tedious.

Whilst checking my email, I made a rare visit to the SPAM filter that’s doing a bang-up job and keeping my INBOX clear of mourning Nigerian’s and information about the “vacation cruise of a lifetime” It’s a rare occasion because I put a profound degree of trust in the Google/GMAIL system. And more recently, I looped in my Yahoo account which means those incoming emails are now subject to the rock-solid GMAIL filters. If it seems like I’m gushing about GMAIL, I am.

So how is it that the system that serves me so well made such an odd error by flagging a recent incoming message as SPAM? I mean it was addressed to me (not that it matters). In fact it was addressed to my dedicated GMAIL account vs. the Google Apps route that allows me to run my domain branded email.

The email in question was regarding a class action lawsuit levied against Google. CLRB HANSON INDUSTRIES, LLC d/b/a INDUSTRIAL PRINTING, and HOWARD STERN vs. Google Inc. As a Google AdWords client, I was included in the official notification. The email was simple version of the official court documentation and included a unsubscribe link at the bottom (good for them!).

This of course begs the question as to how and why was this email marked for death and relegated to my SPAM folder. While it’s content was lengthy, it didn’t promise length. While it promised the opportunity of money, it wasn’t coming from an African nation. It had no images…and so on…none of the traditional trappings of SPAM. Yet somehow, the unflappable GMAIL filter denied it entry.

Quite honestly I’m not a conspiracy theorist so I’m happy with the idea that it was a simple, automated action that over-reached. Above and beyond that, let’s not lose site of the fact that Google is a company created in a free market economy with no legal obligation to dispense what it most certainly considers slanderous and bad for business.

Nevertheless, the coincidence was an amusing and the $20,000,000 (the proposed settlement) is…how many other SPAM folders are littered with this same legal announcement.

I’m a guy that spends a lot of time online. So with all that, one might logically assume that’s I’d be able to navigate the in’s and out’s of how things work and how to exploit the tools and features available in most of the more complex websites. Cue the expression, “…if it were a snake, it would have bit you…”

A recent trip to YouTube found me again filtering through the millions of mindless boobs with quite literally nothing to say but still feeling compelled to share it with the masses. The vulgar, inane and bored breed like bunnies on YouTube. But enough with the stereotypes (lest a certain blog be likewise labeled) and on to the show. I stumbled across a simply setting/feature that will revolutionize my Fred Figglehorn / YouTubing experience.

YouTube videos afford users the chance to comment. Regrettably a vast majority (it amazes me how many) of those comments are littered with racial slurs, bigotry and words more appropriate for prison than a computer screen; those who can’t communicate, swear. And on the occasion of sending along a video link to an unsuspecting friend, I’m more or less subjecting them to the balance of content that tags along just below. While I can’t manage another users account, I can at least shield myself from the text based barrage with a simply check of the box and a browser cookie. The option has been there for some time (I never suggested this information was revolutionary). To the point: Select the OPTIONS link that’s adjacent to the “Text Comments” heading and simply check the “Hide Comments” box. The end. No more idiots. No more F-Bombs. No more slander.

Secondary to this simple tweak, here’s another that not as old but will  likewise smooth the road when watching vids and prefer the High Quality version. You’ll need to actually establish a YouTube account, but after doing that you can login and manage your account. Specifically, select the Playback Setup–>Video Playback Quality and check the “I have a fast connection…” radio button.

It’s clear that my NetFlix account is taking WAY too many liberties with what I see or don’t see featured under their “New Releases” heading. In other words, I’m missing new releases unless I take the time to seek them out.

After a few visits that left me scratching my head about obvious omissions and then finally taking two minutes to actually compare my percpetions and reality side by side, my greatest couch potato fears were realized. It was in fact true–of the top 10 rentals (for that week, via IMDB), only one appeared on my NetFlix New Releases home page. The NetFlix feature that allows me to flag movies I’ve seen and liked/disliked and thus make targeted recommendations is the obvious suspect.

Data driven content that’s tailored to the users needs and preferences is a great tool–when it works. But in this case, it’s seems to be trying too hard and in turn trimming down my selections to the point of negligence. So instead of  the Oscar winner and #1 rental of the week, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” I’m instead offered the instant classics like “Walled In” or “Drillbit Taylor”.

Being the smart (deleted) cookie that I am–I logged out to see what the general public saw when investigating NetFlix for the first time. Just as odd and equally as inexcusable, I found that they offer only a snap-shot of what’s available in their library. Instead of impressing me the the breadth of the entire collection, they’ve seen fit to only share 21 titles (filed as New Releases). This is more of a marketing mis-step than a techical shortcoming.

This sort of unwieldy database driven results/content isn’t unheard of. It’s especially easy to find on news pages like MSNBC where I regularly see text-advertisements for something like a “Tropical Paradise Vacation”  sitting adjacent to a story outlining horrific terrorist attack on a South Pacific Island (I’m making that up–there’s been no attack!).

TiVo offers a similar feature that makes programming suggestions but it too isn’t without issue. I’m reminded of Spence Olchin line from the classic comedy, “The King Of Queens”
“Oh my God! My TiVo thinks I’m gay!”

Which brings to mind a second topic. Why is there a Gay/Lesbian movie catagory in the first place? What’s that about?

And for the record–NetFlix is an excellent service. It’s not my intention to diss’ anyone

Creating websites that perform and present content correctly and uniformly across various browsers and operating systems is one the primary responsibilities of any self-respecting web designer. And to any web-dude or dudette that doesn’t make that end-game a primary focus of their process I say, shame on you. There, consider yourself rebuked. I can only assume that now you now feel the bitter cloud of humiliation hovering over your “IE only” code.

You see, it is my obsession to seek out (and hopefully become literate with) the latest and greatest tricks, tools and clever code collections of script snippets that can transform a website from functional to fancy. In some cases its practical but more often than not its bells, whistles and eye-candy. Along those lines, I’ve recently discovered the joys and relative ease of JQuery scripts. I feel no shame in admitting that I’m not skilled enough to create a script myself. But I have likewise found that with the proliferation of “ready-made” scripts, there’s little reason to tackle that skill in the near future. I mean, these things are replicating like rabbits.

In the course of finding these scripts and kicking their tires I often find myself reading blog entires and help/support sections that are found in tandem to the scripting code. While JQuery may be relatively easy to execute, it’s not without hiccups and a little hand holding via a support forum can go a long way. And it is within these forums that I find the inevitable entry or gripe that reads “…what about users that have Javascript disabled?” That question (or some variable of it) is posed with military-grade regularity.

OK so here’s the gripe

When the “disabled Javascript” question is stumbled upon, I can’t help but scratch my head an wonder what all the fuss is about? I mean some uber-goober has just used Notepad and effectively turned water into wine and the only comment some nerd can muster is one regarding a rarely disabled browser feature. Are you just looking for something…anything…to lob back over and into the developers lap? This mad genius that has just freely given you the ability to include some ridiculously cool way to juice up your gallery of kitty-cat images or a sweet little effect for mouse-overs. You should be naming a first born child after them, not whining about the five percent or often LESS of users that have Javascript disabled and thus “can’t use it”

The five percent or less total represents my informal results based on some simple Google Analytics reporting. More often than not, it was well under five percent.

Here’s where I might get into trouble with the usability fascists that lurk among us mere mortals. Militant coders have their place and I’m not dismissing the importance of getting one’s ducks lined up to ensure a uniform presentation. I stand by the words that I began this entry with. However, I live in a world where a 95% chance of success is pretty danged acceptable! In most circles, we’d be willing to bet the pink slip on those odds. What is with persistent paranoia over somehow offending this five percent of web users? This five percent that insists on disabling a tool that enhances the over all web browsing experience? Is it a fear of hackers? Is the security issue truly that prolific? I dare estimate that even LESS than five percent of typical users even know HOW to disable Javascript on their browsers…it just came that way.

I stand worry-free along side the 95%…there truly is power in numbers. And for the record, I make regular use of the script on my personal page–but in not mission critical areas (that I know of).

And so the logical final words on this topic are these:
What’s worse—a simple forum question about disabled Javascript options?
Or—burning over 600 words rambling on about how annoying the question is?

I know: its both creepy and ridiculous to suggest that an inanimate object like sports cars or even furniture could be “sexy”. But for years, Madison Avenue has been selling us that exact concept. I’m not suggesting that it’s entirely hogwash, but to the pragmatic, it is a silly point of view.

And yet it is with a straight face and firm voice that I’m telling you that Apple’s Safari browser (version 3 and the fresh-new version 4) makes even the most banal of web pages look sublime. Dare I say…sexy.

History: Perhaps it’s the part of my brain that remains equal parts loyal and sympathetic to the Apple brand (with Apple NOW selling at $100 a share, I suppose I can suspend any attitude of sympathy). You see, several years ago I tearfully left the Mac platform and went to the Dark Side with Darth Gates. After several years with Apple and even playing the role of an ardent Mac evangelist, it became too painful to consider the  consequences of losing it outright to Wall Street (support for my machine and the software I had both purchased and planned to purchase). Specifically, seeing Apple stock shares settle in at $8 became to much to bear and I more or less determined then and there that the “Fat Lady” was in the wings, warming up for a solo. And with the release of Windows 95, the time seemed right.

Bringing Sexy Back: As one that creates web pages and keeps a keen eye on usability and functionality for both Windows and PC users, I’ve had ample reason and opportunity to see how pages look in a variety of formats. And without hesitation, my work looks best when viewed on Apple’s Safari browser. In addition to being a peppy piece of software (especially version 4) that clearly speeds up page load times, the text edges are smoother and bordering on creamy smooth. Images look richer and darker (say it with me: “Corinthian Leather“) and the minimalistic metal interface at large is elegant and…well…so Apple.

Even the most fascist Windows can’t deny that Apple’s stellar reputation as a leader in design engineering is one that’s been earned over and over again. I mean when you unpacked your iPod–did you note the packaging? It was pure art! Magic with cardboard and plastic! I still have my box–I don’t have the heart to throw it away.

That’s not to suggest that Safari is perfect. Far from it. For as much as I loved V3 of Safari, I never completely jumped from the Firefox ship (the clock is ticking—but dang it if I don’t rely on a handful of extensions). Safari’s execution of the tab feature was inexcusable. Ordering up a new tab took a trip the the command bar (vs. FireFox 3) and it’s organization of bookmarks was never as intuitive as I needed. I’m sure there’s a keyboard shortcut but my wee-brain has it’s limits on how many of THOSE I can commit to memory.

Safari 4 does a better job of addressing the “new tab” – the tabs are streamlined and wafer thin incarnations of the title bar. If one isn’t paying attention, the new tab could be missed altogether. I’m not sure how I feel about that specific execution, but it’s been less than 24 hours so I’ll withhold judgment. Likewise bookmark management and the additional freedom to position them to my preference has taken a clear, forward step.

The most obvious new feature of Safari 4 is the “Cover Flow” bookmarks. I think it’s more eye-candy than functionality but it IS some sweet candy. If you’ve ever used iTunes, you know what cover flow is–and there’s little reason to describe it here. It’s exactly the same concept and execution. A laundry list of additional, cutting edge features can be found here: http://www.apple.com/safari/features.html

But while someone has to be first to adopt each of these features, I don’t see myself getting too breathy about any of them (“CSS Canvas”) until they gather enough steam to be standard across all major browsers. And that brings us full circle. Apple still struggles to break the double-digit mark when it comes to market share and Safari for PC isn’t ready for it’s close up. My traffic reporting suggests Safari for PC tips the scale at: 0.12% of users–that’s far less than Safari for iPhone.  So while I applaud any price of software that shovels more dirt onto Internet Explorer 6 grave, I don’t have any immediate plans to master Safari’s boutique feature set.

So when you grow weary of IE (and from what I’ve seen of IE8, it “sucks less” but remains a bit of a yawner), commit to a week on Safari and see where you land. I mean even THIS page might look sexy!

If you’ve ever registered a domain, there is a high probability that you’re dealing with folks in a far off, perhaps even exotic location. Australia, India or perhaps even as far off as Philadelphia.

Allow me this short history:

I don’t know if this makes me “old school’ (I’m not “OG”…you know, “Original Geek”), but while I didn’t begin my internet experiences on a hacked Commodore 64, I do recall the painstaking days of domain registration and management that involved returning delicately prepared text based emails. It was a nerve-wracking process where an mis-aligned “X”  could result in an error of some sort. And worse, the edits that can now be seen in minutes, really DID take 24-48 hours to propagate. Beyond that, domains were a whopping $100, and then finally down to $50 a pop. Only after some sort of “ICANN deregulation” was put in place were there options beyond what is now Network Solutions. For some time–that was the only game in town. Love it, or leave it.

But now we have a multitude of registrars available to us and as such, prices are extremely affordable. If you want to buy a domain for your cat, it’s not that big of a deal…pathetic, but financially viable. The flip-side to this relative registration ease is that there are some players that have no business being in “the business”; sub-standard business practices and sloppy or non-existent customer service.

2000domain.net

Prior to our business relationship, a client of mine registered their domain with 2000domain.net. Kudos to them for being on top of the game, but shame on them for using a fly-by-night service like 2000domain.net. And proving that the internet business really can be a home-grown business jewel (I have no issues with that at all), the 2000domain.net address returns to a condo/apartment in what I’ll assume is a Philadelphia suburb.

For several years, I’ve been trying to transfer my domain to another registrar as 2000domain.net continues to charge a whopping $35.00 a year. No it’s not a lot of money, but it is terribly out of step with competitive pricing schedules and I wanted out. Going back at least 3-5 years, I would attempt to initiate a transfer to a preferred registrar. But with German-grade precision, my emails and phone calls were systematically ignored. I never got close: no lip-service or no empty promises and a “support” answering machine that lead to nothingness. Eventually the renewal date would draw too close for comfort and I would relent by paying the bloated renewal costs vs. finding my domain expired and snaked up by an automated domain skimming bot.

This year, I decided to take another route by stepping around my friends in Philly and heading down-under to Melbourne. I don’t know why it took me so long to take this angle, but 2000domain.net is an affiliate/re-seller for Melbourne IT in Australia, so I opted to contact them in directly. Since it was their affiliate providing sub-standard services, one could argue that it was reflecting poorly on their organization. Work the business ego, I say. Contacting Melbourne IT eventually worked (it took weeks) and they returned with the required transfer authorization codes–but with less than ten days before my domain was scheduled to lapse. Nevertheless, I scrambled and forwarded the codes to 2000domain within 2 minutes and again found myself at the will and whim of Philly. Days and then more days passed with no word about releasing my domain and the 2/26 expiry date was looming.

After two more phone calls literally pleading with them to “do the right thing”, and as many emails I actually got my first email from the “support” team at 2000domain.net. Comically, they offered instructions for transferring the domain TO them vs. away. Ugh.

The Anti-Climactic Ending

After yet another email clarifying my need, the domain was transferred with two days to spare (a mere 3-5 years after my first effort) and now the planets have aligned and cats are living peaceably with dogs. I decided to post this for others that have most certainly found themselves in similar situations with 2000domain.net. Likewise, let this be a lesson in business diligence: work with reputable organizations, take a few moments to investigate, ask a question and see how long it takes to get a response. When you’re handing over your brand and your identity to another party, take the time to learn what they’re all about or you might find yourself being held hostage. Take it from me (and my client).